Macri Government Riding High after Congressional Primaries in Argentina

The government of President Mauricio Macri emerged as the clear winner in Argentina’s recent parliamentary primary elections, a process it had presented to the public as a referendum on its first 20 months in power. The results put Macri and his Cambiemos (Let’s Change) coalition in strong position to expand their base in Congress. On Aug. 13, Argentina’s slightly more than 33 million eligible voters (over the age of 16) chose among candidates from all of the political parties to determine who will compete in midterm congressional elections scheduled for Oct. 22. At stake are a third (24) of the country’s Senate seats and half (128) of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Congress. Senate terms last six years in Argentina. Deputies are elected to four-year terms. The results of the Primarias Abiertas Simultáneas y Obligatorias (Simultaneous and Obligatory Open Primaries, PASO), as the August elections were officially known, suggest that if opinions hold steady in Argentine society over the next two months, the governing coalition may be able to gain a congressional majority.

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